The DII women's volleyball championship began on Dec. 5 with 64 teams in the hunt for glory. Now, the final eight head to the Stanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the three-day finals to crown the next national champion.
It is an interesting field in the sense that there are very little surprises, but yet, despite Gannon being back in the finals (again), there are no DII women's volleyball title-holding heavyweights. Defending champion Cal State LA isn't here — the Golden Eagles didn't even make it out of the first round. There's no Concordia-St. Paul, Tampa, nor West Texas A&M — at least one of these three powerhouses has been in the national championship match in 15 of the past 17 tournaments — and they are three of the winningest programs of all time.
We have a field of eight teams each looking for its first national championship. But again, none of these teams is surprising. Every team that advanced to the quarterfinals was either a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed in their respective region. In fact, six No. 1 seeds — Angelo State, Bentley, Gannon, Ferris State, Lynn and Wingate — are in the finals and No. 2 seeds San Francisco State and Central Oklahoma each defeated the No. 1 seed in their region to get here. We were just a few sets away from an all-No. 1 quarterfinals.
So, what do we know about each team remaining?
DII women's volleyball finals by the numbers
| Team | Kills/set | Assists/set | digs/set | Blocks/set | Hitting % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo State | 14.6 | 13.7 | 17.2 | 2.0 | .249 |
| Bentley | 12.1 | 11.3 | 14.3 | 2.6 | .223 |
| Central Oklahoma | 14.6 | 13.5 | 19.1 | 2.2 | .259 |
| Ferris State | 13.8 | 12.3 | 15.1 | 2.2 | .302 |
| Gannon | 12.9 | 11.9 | 16.2 | 2.7 | .225 |
| Lynn | 14.0 | 12.9 | 16.7 | 2.0 | .265 |
| San Francisco State | 14.0 | 13.0 | 15.8 | 1.6 | .260 |
| Wingate | 14.7 | 13.8 | 18.7 | 2.0 | .291 |
What to know about the DII women's volleyball finals field
No. 1 Ferris State. The Bulldogs are having a red-hot December. The football team is once again in the semifinals, and the women's volleyball team is Midwest Region champs for the first time since 2013. It is the fourth trip to the quarterfinals for Ferris State, which is the No. 1 overall seed with a perfect 34-0 record. There hasn't been an undefeated national champion since Cal State San Bernardino did it in 2019 and there have only been three perfect seasons in the history of the sport: Hawaii Pacific in 2000, Concordia-St. Paul in 2009 and the Coyotes. Outside hitter Olivia Henneman-Dallape was named the Midwest Region player of the year after posting a .332 hitting percentage, pacing Ferris State's DII-best .302 hitting percentage on the season.
No. 2 Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos are also having a very solid December. The football team won its first MIAA championship and hosted (and won) a tournament game for the first time since 1998. Now, it's the women's volleyball team looking to continue the historic run, winning the program's first-ever Central Region title and making its first trip to the quarterfinals. Outside hitter Addison Wimmer was named the MIAA player of the year and was among the conference's leaders in kills per set and points.
No. 3 Angelo State. The Rambelles defeated MSU Denver in straight sets to advance to their second quarterfinals in program history. The last time they made it this far was in 2016, when they defeated MSU Denver in straight sets. Angelo State had both the LSC setter of the year in Adeline Ortman and libero of the year in Caleigh Enax, racked up 31 wins and have Demi Carter, who was the South Central freshman of the year. This team is rather loaded and a tough No. 3.
No. 4 Lynn. Lynn won the South Region for the first time in program history, and what a win it was. The Fighting Knights won a thrilling, five-set match against DII women's volleyball finals regular Tampa, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to advance to their first quarterfinals ever. The team is loaded with accolades: Isabella Gentile was the SSC defensive player of the year, Hope Passerello was the SSC setter of the year and Maria Cecilia Pinho and Samantha Wolf — who led the team in points — joined them on the All-South Region First Team. It is the first 30-win season in program history, a number Lynn surely wants to add to this coming weekend.
No. 5 Wingate. The Bulldogs are one of the most experienced teams in the field, making their seventh trip to the quarterfinals and second in three years. All the success has come since 2010, making Wingate the team to beat in the Southeast Region on an annual basis. The Bulldogs are on a 23-game winning streak, reaching 31 wins as they head to Stanford Pentagon — the 13th time this program has reached the 30-win plateau. Middle blocker Sydney Morland is piling up the accolades this postseason. She was just named the consensus Southeast Region player of the year and already took home SAC player of the year honors and the SAC tournament most valuable player.
No. 6 Gannon. The Golden Knights are in the quarterfinals... and water is wet. This is their fourth trip in the past five tournaments as they have become the benchmark of the Atlantic Region. During head coach Matt Darling's 18-year tenure, Gannon has made 15 straight trips to the DII tournament with five total trips to the quarterfinals. The Golden Knights haven't won fewer than 27 games since 2015 and Darling's .740 winning percentage is top 25 all-time. Keep an eye on Emma Hall, who took home her second PSAC West defensive player of the year award this season.
No. 7 San Francisco State. The Gators are also making their quarterfinals debut and are the first San Francisco State team in any sport to make it this far since the 2005 softball team made it to the softball championship finals. Last week, the Gators dominated No. 1 seed Cal Poly Pomona in straight sets to win their first West Region title, and now go from playing the Broncos to playing the Bronchos in Stanford Pentagon. Kimberly DeBoer has been one of the most dominant players in the CCAA, winning setter of the year for a third straight season. She led the conference in assists — for a third consecutive year — for a Gators team that led the CCAA in both hitting percentage and kills per set.
No. 8 Bentley. The Falcons made program history last year, reaching the finals for the first time ever. They didn't wait long to repeat that feat, and the Falcons are the only team from last year's quarterfinals to return to the field. Like last year, Bentley is the No. 8 seed and draws a tough No. 1 in Ferris State. Bentley breezed through the first two rounds this year before a back-and-forth battle with American International to win the East. Middle blocker Elizabeth Blinn continues to clean up, earning unanimous All Region honors after an All-NE10 season.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
